A regional prime minister assigned the task of leading the reparations fight for the Caribbean, has served notice to Britain about the amount of reparation money its owes to the island nation for the brutal transatlantic slave trade.
Mia Mottley of Barbados says the United Kingdom and other countries owe the Eastern Caribbean tourism paradise nation of Barbados at least $4.9 trillion, and that even if there is an agreement reached, Barbados does not expect that all would be frontloaded in one lump sum payment.
The outspoken regional PM and global repatrations and climate change advocate recently met new British Foreign Secretary David Cameron while in London and though the two did discuss the issue, no details have been provided.
The region has been stepping up the fight to make Britain and other former slave-owning and trading nations like The Netherlands, France, Spain and Portugal among others pay for the sins of the past by serving demand letters, requesting a summit meeting to talk reparations, enlisting the African Union in the fight, and hiring a British law firm to pursue the case in law courts. The region has also been seeking out European families who are now living on the wealth their foreparents earned from slavery to pay reparations.
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“We’re not expecting that the reparatory damages will be paid in a year, or two, or five because the extraction of wealth and the damages took place over centuries. But we are demanding that we be seen and that we are heard,” she said. “The conspiracy of silence for years has diminished the horror of what our people faced.” Mottley added that the conversation on reparations must commence, no matter how difficult or time consuming.
The PM had previously cited a figure of $24 trillion based on a standard definition of damage but has trimmed it down now to about $5 trillion. “I’m not going to get into the details of our conversation but suffice to say, I think the foreign secretary [Cameron] will take his lead from his majesty,” she said. Mottley mentioned that King Charles had referred to the issue during a speech in Rwanda last year while he was still the Prince of Wales noting his “personal sorrow at the suffering of so many” and that he continues to “deepen his understanding of slavery’s enduring impact. To forge a common future that benefits all our citizens, we too must find new ways to acknowledge our past.”
Meanwhile, in recent weeks, Caribbean researchers have come up with actual figures owed to the region and descendants of slavery. The calculations were compiled by the Brattle Group of American economists and consultants with help from Caribbean attorneys, historians, politicians, and history students.
For example, Britain’s tab to Caricom is tallied at $24 trillion, while Spain’s is $17 trillion. Portugal specifically would have to come up with $20 trillion to Brazil. The Netherlands’ tab is $5 trillion—$3 trillion of which should go to Caricom member nation, Suriname, and $50 billion to neighboring Guyana. The recommendation from the researchers is that the money be paid over a 10 to 20-year period by a mutually binding agreement.
A draft demand letter is being finalized for signature and presentation to European nations. Back in February, the African Union had approved a resolution mandating its secretariat to collaborate and liaise with Caricom on reparations and slavery.
